Background: Mussina followed in the footsteps of Jack McDowell as a Stanford ace. The Baltimore Orioles selected him with the 20th pick overall in the 1990 draft. He lived up to the hype, then left for the bucks, signing an $88.5 million, six-year contract with the New York Yankees before the 2001 season. Consider him the Mike Hampton deal that actually worked out. He should finish his career with at least 260 wins, a heady total given the growing extinction of 300-game winners.

What’s up: With Randy Johnson retreating back toward mortality and Chien-Ming Wang still climbing toward stardom, Mussina stands as the Yankees’ most reliable starter. And he could put a stake in the Red Sox division title hopes today. Mussina faces the Red Sox in the fourth of a rare five-game series. Get beyond the Yankees’ lineup for a second – which could resemble the 1927 Yankees when Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui return in a few weeks. The Yankees aren’t going anywhere without better starting pitching. And now Mussina sits winless in three starts this month.

What’s next: Mussina, 37, has adjusted as his stuff has diminished. He used to be able to overpower opponents before dropping the knuckle-curve on them. If that pitch sounds familiar, it should. Tyler Green, of Denver’s Thomas Jefferson High School and Wichita State fame, made a living with the trick offering before his arm blew out. Mussina has lurked in the shadows this season, sitting as a fringe Cy Young candidate by ranking in the top six in wins, strikeouts and batting average against.

Renck’s take: Mussina’s intelligence can be confused with arrogance. His smarts, however, are what make him tick. He’s a seven-time Gold Glove winner. That said, frustration has started to creep in at the worst possible time. Mussina has a 4.63 ERA since June 1. He’s not exactly sure what’s wrong, which bothers him to no end. That Alex Rodriguez fields like he has frying pans on his hands when Mussina’s in the game hasn’t helped either. Seven of A-Rod’s 21 errors have come in Mussina’s games. But when it comes to Mussina, there can be no excuses. The Yankees can’t claim a title if the Moose doesn’t assume the role of the ace.

Troy is a former Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies beat writer for The Denver Post. He joined the news organization in 2002 as the Rockies' beat writer and became a Broncos beat writer in 2014 before assuming the lead role ahead of the 2015 season. He left The Post in 2015.

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